Iran always ready for talks on nuclear program - ambassador to Russia

MOSCOW, February 13. /ITAR-TASS/. Iran is open for negotiations on its nuclear program, the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Moscow, Mehdi Sanaei, said Thursday.

"Iran is always ready for talks to make its nuclear program transparent," Sanaei said at a round table in the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, which was organized by the Liberal Democratic Party on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran.

However, he said, Tehran would “never give up" its "right to the civilian nuclear power industry.”

Iran says it needs nuclear power to generate electricity, but Western powers led by the United States claim Iran’s eventual aim is to create nuclear weapons.

Sanaei said the West creates problems for security. “Imposing force and outside pressure have led to an atmosphere of instability,” he said.

The six international negotiators on Iran’s program - five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States) plus Germany - agreed at a meeting in Geneva on November 24, 2013 not to introduce new sanctions against Iran on the part of the United Nations, the European Union and the US.

They also agreed to lift certain restrictions for Iran in some fields.

The agreement entered into force January 20, 2014. Iran agreed to stop enrichment of uranium to higher than 5 percent. The next round of talks is expected to be held in Geneva on February 18.

The ambassador said the Russian and Iranian presidents, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, are involved in successful cooperation.

"The presidents have serious will to strengthen relations and develop cooperation in all fields, as well as to develop partnership on regional problems,” Sanaei said.